WNOL moves home

Westminster News Online, the news website run by journalism students at the University of Westminster, has been redesign and moved to a new address. To see the student work please go to http://www.wnol.info

Westminster News online

MPs’ expenses scoop: the inside story

The reporters who broke the MPs’ expenses scandal revealed the inside story to University of Westminster journalism students in a fascinating account of their investigation, writes Victoria Maw.

The Daily Telegraph’s deputy political editor Robert Winnett and chief reporter Gordon Rayner told how their team sifted through a million documents in a secret room at the newspaper’s headquarters and endured the wrath of many angry MPs. Some even shook their fists at researchers

Their work for the conservative-leaning newspaper, which has been turned into a book called ‘No expenses spared’ explained how some MPs from across all parties abused the expenses system.

‘Genuinely excited’

Rayner said the cases went from the downright ridiculous and trivial to “bordering on criminality”.

The information was so sensitive that it took the Telegraph a month to build up a relationship of trust with their source.

“It was a big digging exercise,” said Winnett. “A cynical group of journalists were genuinely excited.”

Rayner believes that Prime Minister Gordon Brown damaged his own reputation by micromanaging the expenses scandal. “Cameron showed leadership whilst Brown dithered,” said Rayner. “He [Brown] was obsessed with his image. He was only interested in how it would rebound on him. He poured over the paper late into the night with a pencil,” he said.

Benefit

The spotlight has also fallen on one of the university’s local members of parliament, Tony McNulty. The reporters believe the expenses row will probably wreck the Harrow MP’s political career.

The MP for Harrow East agreed to pay back more than £13,000 in expenses this October after it emerged that he had claimed second home allowance expenses on a house that his parents live in.

The Commons Standards and Privileges Committee found that the expenses were not wholly connected with McNulty’s parliamentary duties and his parents obtained a benefit from parliamentary funds to which he was not entitled. Although McNulty occasionally worked from the Harrow property, the committee said he overclaimed in relation to mortgage interest and council tax. Former employment minister McNulty publicly apologised to his constituents in October.

‘Fully complied’

Winnett said McNulty was “fairly contrite” when he was told that the Telegraph had details of his expenses claims.

“He dealt with it moderately well. I think he even made a joke about it,” said Winnett “but it will probably end his political career”.

In response, Tony McNulty said: “Any fair-minded person who reads the committee’s report will see that I fully complied with all rules and advice given to me at the time and that the commissioner decided he would change the advice retrospectively. He is perfectly entitled to do that and I have absolutely no complaint. It will be for the people of Harrow to decide my future.”

Hostile
Winnett and Rayner say that the clever MPs said very little whereas those who got into trouble defended themselves too publicly. “Nobody had even heard of Margaret Moran before she insisted on going on television. She now may well be replaced by Esther Rantzen, “ said Rayner.

Many MPs were hostile towards the Telegraph over its handling of the scandal but Winnett and Rayner say that most soon realised that they could not afford to isolate the papers.

The story also caused a surge of interest in politics. “This summer people got interested in politics again,” said Rayner. “They took interest in who their MPs are and this can only be a good thing for democracy.”

Rayner adds that the story’s beauty was in its simplicity. “The story was something that kids can understand. It was straightforward and dead simple. Hazel Blears claimed a Kitkat,” he said.

The journalist told students that other papers had refused to buy the story, notably the Times who thought the story was too risky from a legal perspective. Winnett thinks the Telegraph’s new young editor Will Lewis is responsible for the go-ahead attitude.

“There was a will to have a big story and to show that the Telegraph has changed,” says Winnett.

Student chases her story to No 10

MA Journalism student Laura-Jane Hawkins describes her biggest scoop to date after chasing her coursework documentary on the Gurkhas campaign to a meeting with the prime minister on the lawn of 10 Downing Street.

A strong Northern Irish accent shouted out: “I give you your Prime Minister, Mr Gordon Brown.”

Then right in front of me, Gordon and Sarah Brown walked down the steps of No 10 Downing Street into the back garden. I had to pinch myself as I was standing there with Joanna Lumley on one side of me, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to her other side and Gurkhas lined up ahead of me, waiting to thank the prime minister for granting them rights to stay in Britain.

Interviewing a star

I was making a radio documentary on the Gurkhas’ campaign for my University of Westminster MA journalism project. The most I could have ever hoped for was a short interview with Joanna Lumley but to interview the lawyers of the case, chat with Joanna Lumley and then gain extra audio whilst on the lawn of the prime minister’s residence was beyond my most ambitious dreams.

Joanna Lumley, the star of so many TV dramas and comedies, was more than happy to talk to me. She was so dignified and I was impressed how well she had handled the media circus that had taken place around her throughout the day.

“Isn’t this wonderful,” she said in pure delight. “It’s truly a historic day and everything we wanted has been given to us.”

I spotted Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister standing at the edge of the lawn. When asked about the amendment of the law, he explained that all Gurkhas who have retired either pre-1997 or post-1997 can now all gain rights to settle in the UK.

An interview I conducted with Jacqui Smith added to this by saying: “I’m very pleased and proud. It’s been a great campaign and I’m glad that we have been able to find a way to do justice to the Gurkhas today.”

‘Welcome in our country’

After Gordon Brown made his speech stating that he wants all Gurkhas “to feel welcome in our country and to know, that we know, that you are the bravest soldiers of all” he took the time to shake hands and say hello to every single Gurkha present and bending down to speak to those in wheelchairs.

Photographs were taken and I was even able to get in with a sneaky handshake and introduced myself. The Gurkhas surrounding me were in shock at the day’s events but they were so grateful. “Thank you Gordon Brown and thank you to Britain” was the most popular response to the news of their victory.

The whole experience was unforgettable. When I woke up on Thursday 21st May 2009, I never imagined that at 4pm in the afternoon I would be having tea and biscuits on the prime minister’s lawn. It just shows that you never know what could happen or how your day could turn out – that’s the beauty and excitement of life and hopefully the life of a journalist.

Unfortunately, the event also taught me several harsh lessons about the world of journalism and the media. My experience was overheard by another journalist and along with information from my blog and photographs, the story was written up from another person’s point of view. This meant that many facts were untrue and my experience was sensationalised.

I learnt several good lessons. Never be too trusting of people, don’t tell anyone and everyone your story (however happy and excited you may be), always have enough memory space on your camera to take as many photos as your heart desires (mine unfortunately was lacking memory space!), always recharge your Marantz batteries and camera batteries as if you would your mobile phone and always talk to as many people you possibly can, and hang around to wait and see what happen - you never quite know where it will lead you!

Second day of Journalism in Crisis

Day two of the Journalism in Crisis conference organised by the University of Westminster gas started, with a session on citizen journalism opening in the Old Cinema, and a counterpoint to yesterday’s “Glasses Half Full” workshop.

These will be followed by sessions on the relation between journalism, politics and the financial crisis.

The day will be capped off with a session by Nick Pollard, former head of Sky News, and a final inaugural lecture by BBC Director General Mark Thompson.

You have many ways to follow the action. A multi-media coverage has been set up where:

• students from the University will be blogging live on Westminster News Online
• a livestream broadcast has been arranged so that anything said or shown in the Old Cinema will be available online
• photographs will be taken throughout the day and published on the University’s Flickr account
• and since new technologies are at the centre of many discussions, there will also be “tweets” posted on Westminster’s Twitter account.

First day of Journalism in Crisis

There is a feeling of excitement as the first day of Journalism In Crisis is about to begin. Last minute checks are being made, cameras are ready, journalism students from the University of Westminster prepare their interviews while the Regent Street Campus is hosting one of the most exciting journalistic events in the capital.

Today, James Curran (pictured) from the Goldsmiths College will start a day of discussions with “Journalism in Crisis”, a keynote speech about the dilemmas the industry is facing today.

A series of conferences will then take place covering topics such as investigative journalism or the evolution of online media.

You have many ways to follow the action. A multi-media coverage has been set up where:

• students from the University will be blogging live on Westminster News Online
• a livestream broadcast has been arranged so that anything said or shown in the Old Cinema will be available online
• photographs will be taken throughout the day and published on the University’s Flickr account
• and since new technologies are at the centre of many discussions, there will also be “tweets” posted on Westminster’s Twitter account.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

12:50 This fantastic day of conferences will begin with a welcome speech by the Dean of School of Media, Arts and Design Sally Feldman.

BBC, Sky News at the University of Westminster

BBC Director General Mark Thompson and Sky News associate
editor Simon Bucks are two of several journalists speaking
at Journalism In Crisis.

JIC is a conference which the University of Westminster and the
British Journalism Review are putting on jointly.

Over two days, the event will combine talks and smaller
breakout sessions on topics ranging from citizen journalism
to news as a business to how the web is changing all news media.

The event runs 19-20 May, 2009  at the university’s campus
in central London at 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2UW.

Keynote Speakers

On Tuesday, James Curran a professor at Goldsmiths College will
deliver ‘Journalism in Crisis,’ the first of two keynote speeches that day.

Professor Curran is the director of the Goldsmiths’ media center and
has written many books on media, history, influence and business.

The second keynote on Tuesday will be from Todd Gitlin, a professor
of journalism and sociology at Columbia University.

Giltin writes about the media and America.

Over 40 University of Westmintser journalism students will  be at the
conference covering it live for Westminster News Online.

Opportunities

Coverage which the students produce will also be offered to
the large UK media organisations like Sky, BBC and ITV News.

“That’s an exciting opportunity for [our students],” Rob Benfield says.

Benfield, a TV veteran with over 35 years of experience, is now
a lecturer at the University of Westminster.  He is executive producing
the student coverage.

Geoffrey Davies, the head of Westminster’s Journalism and Mass
Communications department also thinks the conference is good
for future journalists.

“This is a huge amount of work for students,” Davies says.
“But, it’s invaluable experience that can only help them in
their careers.”

Research and Alternatives

Davies thinks that to have the  Department of Journalism and Mass
Communication, and the British Journalism Review cooperating to put
on  Journalism in Crisis shows the university at its best.

“Events like this confirm our status as the leading media research
university in the country,” Davies says.

In its brief on Journalism In Crisis, Westminster reports that  this
conference will address how journalism’s traditional business model
is under threat.

But, the brief says it will also discuss the alternatives emerging on the web.

It’s the alternatives that are likely to be most interesting to the students in
attendance, alternatives which some students will already be utilizing as they
cover the conference live for WNOL.

Circus atmosphere of G20 protest

As world leaders gathered in London to tackle the financial crisis which has crippled global trade, Westminster News Online’s Brigitte Istim joined a colourful array of protesters to gauge the mood of the crowds in the City.

G20 Meltdown - a coalition of anarchists, environmental activists and people who are just rather cross with bankers - designated 1 April 2009 as Financial Fools Day.

Initially outnumbered by reporters and photographers, a group of protesters assemble on the south side of London Bridge in the spring sunshine. They gather round a large red and green banner which read: Capitalism bringing you a lower quality of life since sixteenth century.

Dorine Jadeau helped make the banner. A veteran of protests in France she was determined “not to miss” G20.

One of the four horsemen of the apocalypse arrives complete with scythe, a skeleton swathed in silver lame - death meets cabaret. A small group of demonstrators dressed all in black, scarves wrapped round their faces, hurries past. They look slightly more purposeful than everyone else, except the attendant police.

The crowd ambles across London Bridge, lead by silver skeleton and a jazz band. A tour bus sits becalmed in the middle of the crowd. Heaven knows what the guide is saying.

Once north of the river the protest swells and begins to feel like a single giant creature, rather than an assortment of people out for a stroll. Banners and bank premises multiply, the crowd whistles, cheers and boos. A group of watching office workers holds a placard to a window announcing: We are not bankers.

By the Bank of England we unite with the other three horsemen of the apocalypse dressed in black, red and dark green. They cavort in front of the bank, accompanied by at least two effigies of bankers, one wearing a bowler hat and a noose round his neck.

Inequality

The very mixed nature of the crowd becomes apparent. Josh is part of a group carrying red ‘revolution’ flags but wouldn’t describe himself as an anarchist.

“I’m just angry about inequality and injustice. I’ll be at the G20 meeting tomorrow to try and make all those world leaders hear my opinions,” he said.

Jessica Tate is statuesque, blonde and very articulate, She counts several bankers as friends and it is partly as a result of conversations with them that she decided to take to the street today.

“What annoys me is the fact that so many bankers think they have a God-given right to huge salaries,” she said. “When I asked a banker friend if he would consider giving up his bonus he just said: ‘Jessica do you have any idea of the size of my bonus?”’

And does she have a good idea of just how big friend’s bonus might be?

“I think I would be shocked if I found out. Shocked and frustrated when I think of what people like doctors and nurses earn in comparison.”

Steve Nichols has designed his own banner, a masterpiece of Photoshopping which has turned Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling into Laurel and Hardy.

Steve looks shrewd and steady, not the type to anger quickly. Why is he here?

“I’m fed up with seeing my savings decimated while big bankers receive huge bonuses. My father is a pensioner and his income from savings has been decimated,” he said.

Picnics and gymnastics

Now the Bank of England is sprouting people like fungus as they cling to the pillars on its facade and scribble slogans on its grey stone with coloured chalk. One man shins up a pillar and then swings back and forth between columns, hanging up banners.

Chris Knight, the Professor of Anthropology at East London University who gained notoriety for his remark about bankers “hanging from lamp-posts” seems in good form, striding around dressed as Dr Death in black cloak and top hat. He urges his supporters to carry a large banner - ‘Capitalism isn’t working’ - over to the steps of the Royal Exchange next to the Bank of England.

“Pick it up, it needs to be seen. I can’t do everything, I’m an old man,” he says.

The sun carries on shining. People sit in the street, smoking, drinking and eating sandwiches as the traffic lights flick unheeded from red to amber to green. A beer bottle arcs lazily through the air near a line of mounted riot police. Otherwise all seems peaceful.

Later, the Evening Standard reports riot and bloodshed outside the Royal Bank of Scotland. High drama has passed apparently passed me by literally yards away.

See also

Police under scrutiny at G20 protests

Remembering the miners’ strike 25 years on

Playwright Ed Waugh is celebrating the imminent debut of his play Maggie’s End on the London stage.

He believes bringing the play to new audiences is the perfect way to mark the silver anniversary of the year long 1984-5 miners’ strike.

Maggie’s End begins with Margaret Thatcher’s death and looks at the repercussions of a Labour government deciding to honour her with a state funeral.

The action hones in on one family. Leon is an ‘old Labour’ stalwart with bitter memories of the miners’ strike.

Maggie’s End at the Gala Theatre, Durham. Photo by Peter Skelton.

His daughter, Rosa, is a rising star in the ‘new’ Labour party who struggles to understand why her father is so incensed by the grand funeral she is helping to organise.

Strikes and memories

Waugh is keen to stress that Maggie’s End is not ‘propaganda’, nor a long rant about the injustices of the Thatcher era.

Focusing on the relationship between Leon and his daughter, Waugh and his fellow writer, Trevor Woods, explore differences between generations. The play also looks at memory, both personal and collective.

Similar to his character Leon, Waugh lived through the miners’ strike and the subsequent closures of pits and steelworks. For him and many others it was a life changing experience.

Waugh leant across the table, his face flushed. All of a sudden he looked taller than when he was standing - and he is a tall man. The clatter of the cafe we were sitting in seemed to recede, rendered mute by one man’s emotion.

“The Thatcher years decimated industry - the steelworks, the mines, the shipbuilding,” he said. “She came along, took on the unions and smashed it all without any compassion, without any thought for the community.”

Unions are the key

Waugh’s anger has historical roots which pre-date Thatcherism. A ‘proud Geordie’ with a visceral attachment to the north east’s tradition of industry and union activism he can remember his grandmother pointing out to him people who had refused to support the General Strike of 1926.

His parents taught him that belonging to a union was as natural and essential as breathing.

So how does Waugh see unionism in Britain today, a quarter of a century after Thatcher’s government and the National Union of Mineworkers commenced battle?

“I’ve never felt that the trade unions were beaten,” he said. “I think they can be stronger than ever, if in a different way. Just look at the potential of new technology which can be used to communicate, to reach out to people.

“During the miners’ strike we had no internet, no mobile phones. It used to take us a whole day to produce a batch of blobby leaflets on an old Gestetner machine.”

The lure of the stage

It was a love of communication, using words to reach people that lead Waugh to play writing. He was working as a publicist for the Custom House Theatre in South Shields and became an admirer of Ray Spencer, the theatre’s director.

“Ray was putting on new drama, using local writers. He was really setting the tone for theatre in the north east.”

Waugh says that the idea of Thatcher having a state funeral first hit him as a dramatist, rather than a political activist. “I thought – this is magnificent. It’s a great hook to hang a whole lot of ideas and emotions on.”

The Jarrow Brewery Company agreed and decided to produce a draught beer to mark the premiere of Maggie’s End in Durham. Is it a bitter beer? “Very bitter.”

The hopes of a ‘political animal’

Waugh hopes Maggie’s End will help people to understand how lives and landscapes are changed as a result of political struggle. Leon will be played by actor Mark Wingett who starred as DC Carver in The Bill for 21 years.

Waugh took Wingett on a tour of the north east, showing him the sites of now vanished mines and steelworks.

Wingett, a Londoner, said that of course he had seen the miners’ strike on television. But it took a visit to one of the affected regions for him to grasp the strike’s full resonance, both then and now.

As Waugh prepared to move on to another appointment he fielded one more question. Does he see himself as a hard headed political activist or a Don Quixote, drawn to what some would call lost causes?

He laughed; “I’m a writer and a political animal, not a political activist. Hey, shall we just say I’m Sancho Panza’s donkey?”

Maggie’s End is on at The Shaw Theatre, 100-110 Euston Road, London NW1 2AJ from 7th to 18th April 2009

This article also appeared in the Morning Star newspaper

Stoy by Brigitte Istim

Lowering retirement age ‘bad for economy’

Relaxing the current retirement age would not be good for the British industry says one of the UK’s leading business organisations.

The Confederation of British industry (CBI) which represent over 200,000 businesses believes that allowing a more flexible retirement rule would not work and could cause more problems for smaller businesses in the recession.

CBI’s deputy director-general, John Cridland, says: “The current system where there is a default retirement age of 65, but people can request to carry on beyond this age, works well. It provides flexibility and our research shows that 81per cent of requests to work beyond 65 are accepted. Companies don’t want to lose good people, whatever their age.”

His comments come after the European courts ruled earlier this month that Britain had not acted illegally by maintaining the retirement age.

Employees aged 65 can be forced to quit unless their employers agree that they can continue. The recession means that people who fall into this age bracket could be hit the hardest financially.

Cridland points out that alternatives to a default retirement age would not work as “companies with small numbers of staff have particular problems adapting jobs to the needs of older workers”.

The cabinet is split on the issue, with some MPs and peers worrying that the recession will hurt the pensions of those approaching 65.

Work and pensions secretary, James Purnell, has launched a review on the recession’s impact on particular groups, including older workers.

Jan Uden, a 63-year-old nurse from Kent says that her husband’s private pension has gone down by one-third in the last few months alone due to the recession.

She continues: “Retirement at 65 is only good if you can afford it. Lots of people my age will want to work as long as they are able and competent. Having saved hard and paid off a mortgage, our savings now earn us none or very little interest and we need this money to supplement our income.”

The government is due to review retirement age in 2011. Uden says: “It seems only government employed people can rely on getting a decent pension these days.”

By Sade Laja

Domestic violence: Behind closed doors

Domestic violence remains a taboo and is not treated seriously enough, according to the leaders of the “Million Women Rise” protest against violence towards women.

The march, which took place in central London on Saturday, was one of many events around the world raising awareness of issues affecting women on International Women’s Day.

Orlanda Ward, an organiser of the event, said: “Two women a week die because of domestic violence and yet people remain very much unaware of it.

“I believe this is because violence remains a taboo and it’s not treated seriously. The media doesn’t cover the issue, instead there is a lot of pornography in the media which promotes sexualised violence.”

Honour killing

The protesters also make a stance against sexual assault, the subtle undermining of women and honour killings.

An honour killing is when a family, clan or community murders a member who is perceived to have brought shame on a group to which they belong.

According to the Human Rights Commission, 280 women died from honour killings in 2007.

Sarah Solemani, another of the event’s organisers added: “I came to the “Million Women Rise” event last year and felt really inspired, but we were really surprised to find there was nothing of it in the news the next day. You hear about killings from teenage knife crime a great deal more.”

Some 5,000 people turned up to demonstrate against domestic violence this year, with women from Central America, India and the Congo.

Taking notice

The protest was peaceful, but certainly not silent, with chanting, constant blowing of whistles and drum beats. Pedestrians and shoppers often stopped along the pavements to take photos and watch the demonstration.

Kevin Schofeild, 54, from London was sitting on a bench and watched the march pass by. On asking if he was aware of the issue he said: “I couldn’t help but see the marchers, but to be honest I didn’t really take any notice of what it was about.”

However Olgica Sarac, 51, from Serbia who stood on the pavement watching the protesters said: “I was impressed to see these women. It is very brave of them. This violence has to stop really. It is a shame for humankind that in the 21^st century women go through such violence.”

By Laura James

For more information visit: www.millionwomenrise.com

Woman asssaulted ‘every six seconds’

Is domestic violence a taboo and not treated seriously enough? Let us know what you think.

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